Batu Nritta - Odissi Vilas

Batu is the second item of the odissi dance repertoire after the Mangalacharan. It is a pure dance item which is dedicated to “Batukeshwar Bhairav”, a form of Lord Shiva, who is also Nataraj, the Lord of the Dance. Batu is also called by the name Sthai in Gotipua style.
In this number the dancer begins by depicting different instruments which accompany the dance like : Vina/Sitar (the lute), Mardala (the drum), Bansuri (the flute), and Manjira (the cymbals).
Many poses from the temple sculpture like Pranata (Greeting with folded hands/Namaste ), Darpana ( Looking in the mirror ) and Alasya (Languorous pose or stretching) are also shown with beautiful and graceful movements.
It is a difficult item as it introduces the full gamut of nritta technique. Beginning with slow tempo in Chauka which is a square symmetric stance of Jagannath and Tribhanga which is a three fold bending form of Krishna which is asymmetric position, it gradually moves to intricate movements, which is from Charis to Bhangis to Khandis or Arasas.
Batu Nritta
Ek Taal
Raag Bhopali
Choreography : Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
Music Composition : Pandit Bhubaneshwar Mishra
Artists:
Guru Sri Vishnu Tattva Das (Artistic director)
Dr. Sangeeta Gosain (Vocal)
Sri Kshiti Kumar (Vocal)
Sri Budhiya Kumar (Mardal drum)
Sri Swapneshwar Chakravarty (Sitar)
Odissi Vilas dancers
Odissi Vilas School program | Samyukta August, 2019 | Chabot College Performing Arts Center, Hayward, California, U.S.A.